Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth (Part 1)

I walked this lovely Cretan labyrinth in Glastonbury, England a couple of years ago. It is centrally located on the lawn of St. John the Baptist Church.

After Henry VIII destroyed and looted Glastonbury Abbey in 1549 and ordered the brutal execution of its Abbot, the town of Glastonbury was spiritually, economically and socially devastated for the next 150 years. But that bleak period ended in 1705 when Queen Anne granted the town a Royal Charter, a mayor and town corporation were elected and Glastonbury began its return to civic order and prosperity.

In 2005, this beautiful labyrinth was constructed to mark the 300th anniversary (tercentennial) of the Royal Charter. It was financed by the town, local businesses, charities and individuals. As stated in the labyrinth's tourist pamphlet, it was built by volunteers:

. . . from all sections of our community. Initially, the students from St. Dunstan's school dug the trenches for the walls. As for cementing and laying the stones, a lovely cross-section of the community volunteered their services: several from St. John's congregation, local Somerset lads, Christians, pagans, Buddhists, members of the alternative community, travellers from the benches, old, young, a tourist or two, a pilgrim or two, and many others.

At the centre and each turning point of the labyrinth, there are inlaid sculpted stone markers celebrating Glastonbury's spiritual heritage. More on those special stones in tomorrow's post!

The first photo is gorgeous! How very special that the community came together to build the labyrinth. Truly spiritual - I imagine the air just about vibrates with energy!Looking forward to tomorrow's post....